Отель изменился, пришло время отзыва The hotel has changed, it's time for a review

Vacationing with family.
We have been at the OLD PALACE RESORT SAHL HASHEESH 5 * hotel 2 times already, we were 3 years ago and were satisfied, we recommended it to friends. But the world does not stand still. What is in demand today, no one needs tomorrow. What worked for 3 years in a row will stop working, quietly reducing income. Businesses that don't communicate with customers die. It's time for a review as the hotel has changed. And here are our impressions from the visit:
+ Wi-Fi appeared in the rooms and throughout the hotel, and it works great. This point is the weak point of many hotels. OLD PALACE added a significant plus to itself. Bravo!
Sea:

+ Good entry into the sea and a beautiful sandy beach. The OLD PALACE RESORT SAHL HASHEESH 5 * hotel has probably the best entrance to the sea on the coast of Sahl Hasheesh. Very soft, comfortable set of depths, fine sand at the bottom, clear water, no waves or wind. Floats easily. Calm and quiet. The beach is being removed. There are enough sun loungers.
+ For coral lovers, near the hotel's beach, literally a stone's throw away (if you walk a little along the coast to the white unfinished hotel, there is a good coral reef)
+ Rest for relaxation and soul. Here, even vacationers with children are calm, there are no noisy children's screams on the beach, everyone is relaxed. Many vacationers note that they return to this hotel because of the calm, quiet environment and that they rest here with their souls, as there is no noise, no fuss.
If you are tired of the hustle and bustle - you are here.
Disinfection:
- Cons: problem with disinfection. Tables are not disinfected after each guest of the restaurant and the temperature is not measured before entering the dining room, unlike other hotels.
+ Pros:
Cutlery and napkins are sealed in a bag in order to comply with sanitary standards and the quality of the napkins is very good. A nice plus that the napkins are branded. There are also antiseptics on the tables and throughout the territory. In front of each elevator and inside the elevator there are an abundance of napkins and disinfectants. facilities.
- Coffee powder and mediocre. Many 5* hotels have had coffee beans with excellent coffee machines for a long time and add flavor and good mood to coffee lovers.
- There were no fruits in the hotel, then they appeared in the form of a fruit salad and then whole fruits went only for dinner: melon, sharon and an apple. Which is extremely sad, while in other hotels for lunch and dinner guava, grapes, dates, mango in the same season, mango, pomegranate.
+ The quality of the beach towels and bath towels is excellent.
- Some beach towels have unwashed stains. This is a minus.
Hotel guests:

Three years ago, vacationers were predominantly Ukrainians, British, Germans and Europeans. 35% of holidaymakers were locals. Now, in times of crisis, 55% of Belarusians + Ukrainians and 45% of the local population (Which is natural and logical, many resort hotels have opened their doors to the local population, because you need to save the economy of the hotel and business at the expense of its citizens).
Green area:
- For a hotel with such a small territory, not making it green is to the detriment of saving and a gross mistake. I make allowances for quarantine, crisis and covid and the fact that the hotel did not work for 2-3 months. A lot of things withered and withered, compared to 3 years ago, the area looks dull. Green areas need to be restored. Moreover, the territory is very small and it will be easy and quick to restore it.
Cleanliness in the location, interior:
+ Great idea in the architectural solution to make the hotel in white and light colors and put white marble on the floor in the inner garden area. In hot weather, marble does not heat up much and there is no feeling of overheating and suffocation.
- The black mosaic fountain needs restoration. Now he looks old and shabby. The mosaic has fallen off and pieces of the tile are in the fountain. That looks unkempt and old. And all the fountains don't work at all.
- Entering the hall you will see a carpet that has not been changed for 3 years and does not seem to have been washed. Frankly speaking, having seen better times, the carpet lies on the floor in the central hall. Old, faded, covered in smudges, in multi-colored spots, in places in mud.
Staff:
+ (Reception) Khalid is the hallmark of the hotel! A true professional in his field! More such pros! Khalid helps to solve any problem. He always turns on empathy, gives himself completely to work and shows how much a person loves and adores his work. He spoke about the hotel and the work of the hotel with great love and really cares about the business, does everything possible to ensure that customers are satisfied with their vacation. Such an employee should be proud of, he is a very strong player for his entire team. Hierarchy client - staff brilliantly observes. Intelligent, friendly, polite and hardworking. He tries very hard and is responsible for his duties. Such an employee is a treasure for any boss. Khalid deserves the highest praise!

+ Ismail (Chief top manager of the restaurant) - Promptly and quickly solves the difficulties that have arisen and does his job brilliantly. Ideally observes the client-staff hierarchy. Tries to resolve any issue and conflict. Able to take responsibility as a leader and make decisions. Ismail is also educated, intelligent, kind, polite and hardworking. He takes his duties very seriously. It was nice to see him after 3 years at the hotel.
+ Chef - In the first days of our holiday, the menu was weak, scarce, and the choice was limited. Perhaps due to the small number of vacationers, the kitchen did not work at full capacity. But it was delicious.
But then everything changed and the chef showed himself as a true pro, the menu was varied, tasty and interesting.
The taste of dishes at OLD PALACE RESORT SAHL HASHEESH 5* is always delicious. From soups to desserts, everything is excellent, tasty and varied. The Chef has a high level of empathy, knows how to adapt to the mood of customers and brilliantly observes the client-staff hierarchy, treats vacationers with respect. Able to show psychological flexibility. Understands and speaks English, which is a significant plus for top management.
If the leader is intelligent, then his team is brilliant, and in this case with the team of cooks. Everyone is smart and in their place.
+ Mohammed (Manager at the bar and in the restaurant)
Mohammed competently and brilliantly knows how to keep up the conversation and conducts smal talk with the vacationer. Possesses the skills of empathy, is also a friendly, artistic and charismatic person who, through positive communication, creates a mood for vacationers. Maintains an excellent customer-staff hierarchy. Always prompt and help if you need something. Works great. He speaks good English.

+Ali / Ali - (restaurant) A true professional in his field. Knows English well. Ideally conducts small talks with vacationers, provides excellent and attentive service. Gives personal space when a restaurant visitor needs privacy and knows how to keep up a conversation when you are in the mood for communication. Empathy includes and always clearly captures the mood of vacationers. Hardworking. Attentive and brilliantly observes the client-staff hierarchy. I think this person deserves a raise as he does his job brilliantly and understands what a premium service should be. His service reminded me of the best times of OLD PALACE RESORT, 3 years ago. When all managers and waiters worked as a single mechanism, understood etiquette and table setting, they could easily support Small Talk. Their impeccable service charmed all the guests of the restaurant.
+ Richi (the chef in the restaurant and was serving ice cream at the pool bar) A friendly and well-mannered person who performs his duties perfectly.
+ Tarek (The guy who works on the beach) Friendly and tries to maintain a minimum small talk with vacationers from the first days of vacation. Attentive and friendly. Performs his duties well.
+ The cleaning of the rooms is excellent and thorough.
+ Animators are very savvy and strong guys. Tanya, Chad, Ibrahim, Mustafa - they all give an interesting program, good physical. loads for aqua aerobics and exercises. Everyone respects the chain of command and behave professionally. And the evening shows are very good and interesting.
There is a staff that solves problems, all of the above people are in this category. Specialists, managers, managers who overtake the market and bring super-benefit to the owner. They are a strong team that is lifting Old Palace out of the crisis. But there are personnel who create problems.
- Ahmet - (Restaurant manager). This man is a stain on the reputation of the hotel. Ahmet doesn't understand and doesn't follow the client-staff hierarchy to such an extent that the question involuntarily arises: “What does he do in top management anyway? His level of service is low. ”
In the first days of our vacation, he seemed friendly, but then he played the main manager and big boss and began to teach us when we should thank him and what we should be grateful for in general that HE serves us. At the same time, Ahmet himself began to impose his services on us.

Ahmet allowed himself to raise his voice to the client. (When I asked for a glass at the bar of the restaurant, he shouted for me to sit down, and he would bring everything himself. At the same time, the man looked furious when I said that I had already come up for a glass and I could bring it myself. ) And our regular dinner ended with that Ahmet began to forcefully impose his service and services, stuck to us like a bath leaf in a restaurant and followed us around the restaurant, shouting my name at least 5 times. He acted very strange, like a stalker. Nobody but him allowed himself such rudeness.
Ahmet knows how to adapt to the mood of his superiors and observes subordination with them. But he does not understand the hierarchy with clients and grossly violates the subordination. This person uses his official position, exceeding his authority. In a conflict, he begins to manipulate, hypocrisy and turn on acting skills.
It is not at all clear how this person could get this position and work in top management.
At the same time, I want to note that the real top management of the restaurant (Chef Pofar and Ismail) worked brilliantly and promptly, they immediately eliminated the problem, apologized and looked after, worried that the incident with Akhmet would not happen again. It can be seen that people care about the reputation of the hotel and worry about the comfort of the client. Once again, thanks to the top management, they made our stay at the hotel pleasant. Those functions that are in their area of ​ ​ responsibility, they performed brilliantly.
Will we return to OLD PALACE RESORT SAHL HASHEESH 5*?
I would say yes, because even making allowances for the crisis and the difficult situation for the hotel business, the hotel is trying to maintain the quality of service that it was 3 years ago. The cons that I listed are very quickly eliminated. Top - management and the rest of the staff work smoothly and well. The team is really strong.
But!
A fly in the ointment can ruin a barrel of honey. Now there is no desire to repeat a visit to the Old Palace, but if the hotel is restored and ALL of the aforementioned disadvantages are closed, there will be a sense and a desire to visit it again.